After a short run of releasing near-perfect albums between 2009 and 2014, the Soundcarriers vanished. Lovers of woodsmoke-scented, deeply dreamy, and gently trippy neo-psychedelia were sadly bereft of one of their finest practitioners of that noble sound. Fortunately, the creators of the sadly underrated, and quickly canceled, series Lodge 49 were big fans of the band and convinced them to get back together to record new music for the show. The process was smooth and the results lovely enough that the group decided to make another album. 2022's Wilds is a stunning return to form that builds on the baroque psych of their previous record while dialing up the rhythmic punch and delivering a batch of their most straightforward songs to date. The rhythm section of bassist Paul Isherwood and drummer Adam Cann power the songs with skillful precision that allows Leonore Wheatley's keyboards and Dorian Conway's guitars to float like clusters of balloons drifting across an autumn sky. Add in the occasional flute, some percussion, and the hauntingly pretty vocal blend that Wheatley and Conway whip up, and it's more magic from the band. As previously mentioned, the songs are less exploratory than some previous work; this time they hit like pop songs beamed in from the rings of Saturn. "Waves" kicks off the album with a jolt of hopped-up energy; "At the Time'' mixes a pummeling rhythm with shards of fuzz guitar, bewitching vocal harmonies, and brilliantly lo-fi production; and "Falling Back" flickers and floats like a cut from a Rubbles compilation, only with a powerful assurance that most bands from the days of vintage psychedelia were unable to achieve. To go along with the uptempo bursts of gleeful pop, some melancholy ballads provide balance. "Traces" spots a heartbreakingly sweet vocal by Wheatley, sadly bubbling bass, and a breathtaking blend of keyboards; the title track is a moody slice of folkadelica that measures up to the Coral at their darkest; and "Happens Too Soon" ends the album with a beautifully arranged lament that sounds like a reverb-dosed Carpenters at their bluest before opening up into a soaring jam, one of the few times they cut loose. So many times, a band will come back from a break and find that they've lost the plot while they were gone, releasing an album that doesn't come close to their best. The Soundcarriers' work is all of such high quality it's hard to say anything rates above anything else; suffice it to say that Wilds stands proudly next to the albums that have come before it. A little bit more song focused, a little rougher around the edges, but still transcendent and heavily psychedelic in all the right ways. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi

1		Waves
2		Traces
3		At the Time
4		All These Things
5		Falling Back
6		Saturate
7		Driver
8		Wilds
9		Happens Too Soon